1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of switch migration, and in particular, to a method for migrating from an old communication switch to a new communication switch.
2. Statement of the Problem
Many types of communication networks exist. One type of communication network is a cable television network, wherein homes and businesses are connected to a cable provider by coaxial cables. With the advent of cable modem devices, cable networks have become increasingly popular for Internet access.
Another communication type that has surged in popularity is telephone service over the Internet, popularly referred to as Voice Over Packet (VOP) or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Through digitization and packetization of voice, a telephone call can be conducted over a digital network such as a network employing the Internet Protocol (IP), for example. Therefore, a cable network can be interfaced to a telephone network so that VOP telephone calls can be exchanged between networks.
In the prior art, an interface system relays communications between a circuit switched telephony network and a packet telephony network. The packet telephony network can comprise any manner of digital communication network that interfaces to the circuit switched telephony network. For example, the packet telephony network can comprise a cable television network or computer network of some manner.
The prior art interface system can include a switch, a Border Controller (BC) between the packet telephony network and the switch, and a telephone network interface between the switch and the circuit switched telephony network. In operation, when the packet telephony network generates a communication targeted to the circuit switched telephony network, the packet telephony network signals the BC, which routes the communication to the switch. The switch then further routes the communication to the telephone network through an associated trunk line(s).
On occasion, the routing of communications between the two networks must necessarily be modified. When the switch is to be replaced, then the telephone calls between the two networks (or other communications) must be re-routed in order to ensure that the calls are delivered.
It is imperative that the migration between switches be fast in order to avoid or minimize a drop in service availability. The migration must be planned out in advance so that the old communication switch configuration can be quickly and easily re-instituted if a problem occurs during the migration. If the migration is not conducted properly and efficiently, the result can be a loss of service. If the migration is not conducted properly and efficiently, the result can be an unacceptably long loss of service. If the migration is not conducted properly and efficiently, the result can be a difficult, costly, and time-consuming change back to the original configuration and necessity to re-conduct the migration at a later time.